Disposal Routes for Human/Animal Blood and Tissue Waste

The following procedures apply to general laboratories and Containment Level 2 TC suites, not to Containment Level 3 facilities or biological resource units.

Glass pipettes and liquid waste aspirators should not be used in conjunction with human or animal blood and tissue.

1. Recognisable Blood and Tissue Waste (updated 31/03/15)

The following types of waste must be disposed of as Clinical Waste:

  1. Animal body parts or whole carcasses
  2. Pieces of tissue that could be easily recognised as such
  3. Significant volumes of blood or homogenised tissue (i.e. greater than 1-2ml and which is safely contained within a screw-cap plastic tube)
  4. Disposable items heavily contaminated with blood/tissue

Clinical Waste is always packaged in yellow, heavy-duty plastic bags or bins and must be appropriately labelled. Sharp-safes are a type of Clinical Waste bin; a range of sizes is available from Safety Services. Sixty litre bins can also be obtained from Safety Services. Other types of container have to be obtained from an external supplier. Clinical Waste bags are available from Safety Services. Once properly packaged, the waste must be deposited in the Clinical Waste Freezer, located in the JBC basement, room GL1-209. Below is specific guidance about each type of clinical waste.

1.1. Solid* and Liquid Waste (*Excluding animal body parts & whole carcasses)

(updated 13/06/16)

Collect into a disposable, sealable, leak-proof, robust, plastic container (e.g. screw top tube or old Merck/Oxoid chemical tub available from CTS). Label container clearly with biohazard tape, your name and lab of origin and mark as “Clinical Waste”. Seal so as to prevent leakage in transit. Transport to the Clinical Waste Freezer immediately in a deep trolley or sealed secondary container. Do not place clinical waste inside red boxes.

1.2. Large Plastic Pipettes

Fully submerge pipettes in a beaker of fresh 1% Virkon solution to remove the bulk of the contamination. Leave overnight (due to high organic load) then drain thoroughly and follow the procedure for "Other Solid Waste". Spent Virkon must be disposed of to drains, flushing with copious amounts of cold water.

1.3. Animal Body Parts or Whole Carcasses

(updated 2/5/19)

ANY animal parts (e.g. limbs, organs, blood vessels, etc) must be wrapped in paper towel, to absorb any liquid, and secured inside a rigid clincal waste container, e.g. a Sharp-safe container. The container must be clearly labelled with a "V" ro identify as veterinary waste and distinguish it from human material. "V" labels are stored in a pouch in the Clinical Waste Freezer door. Deposit the labelled container(s) in the Clinical Waste Freezer as soon as you finish your experiment. If the body parts are very small (e.g. limbs or organs from mice or other small animal), it is acceptable to accumulate them in an appropriately labelled yellow bag or sharpsafe, stored at -20, prior to labelling and final transfer to the Clinical Waste Freezer.

2. Non-recognisable Blood and Tissue Waste

(updated 31/03/15)

This category covers blood/tissue waste that does not fall into section 1 (above). For example:

  1. Volumes of blood or homogenised tissue less then 1-2ml and safely contained within a screw cap plastic tube
  2. Items contaminated with only traces of blood/tissue
  3. Fractions derived from blood/tissue
  4. Items contaminated with above types of fractions

To dispose of the above, follow the routes for waste arising from Containment Level 1/2 activities.

3. Egg Waste

Collect in double autoclave bags in small grey "egg" bins (provided by CTS) and place on the designated collection trolley in the MSI 3 cold room.

Special CL2 Measures:
• Ensure the container is clearly labelled with the word “BIOHAZARD”.
• Arrange for immediate uplift and autoclaving.

4. Fly Waste

(added 13/06/16)

Freeze at -20 degrees C for 48 hours. Fly Facility manager will then package the waste in tiger stripe bags and deposit in the blue trucks in GL1-209.